Yahoo Finance A Medical Professor Says That Rishi Sunak’s Valved Mask Is ‘Worse’ Than Nothing
Face masks! If there is one hot topic of conversation this week, it is these. New guidance has been issued as to when and where you should be covering your mouth and nose while out in public, in a bid to halt the transmission of the virus. Meanwhile, rumours swirl about if you will be told to wear one if you return to an office job – and that sporting a covering while at the shops might be a reality until 2021.
Remember: you need to wash your hands before putting a face covering on and before taking it off
Important note: the government states that, if you are not a healthcare or other key worker, you should not use a surgical mask like is used in hospitals or care homes. You can make a cloth one yourself, or shop the WH edit of the best.
So. What's the official guidance, right now, what could happen in the future and what do the experts think? When it comes to people living in England (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved health powers, and so different rules), here's what's up.
What are the current requirements with masks?
Right now, the official rules for England are as follows:
You must wear a face covering at all times on public transport
And if/ when you go to hospital as a visitor or outpatient
If you can, you should wear a face covering in 'enclosed public spaces where social distancing isn’t possible and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet'
From the 24th July, wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets will be mandatory. Failure to do so will be met with a fine of up to £100. (In Scotland, this is already a requirement)
Non-governmental, but Uber's internal policy requires you wear a mask before getting in one of their cars
What's the deal with masks with valves?
You might have read about the expert reaction to Chancellor Rishi Sunak publicly wearing a face mask with a valve. Trisha Greenhalgh, Professor of Primary Care at the University of Oxford, shared on Twitter that she believes that Sunak should be wearing 'One without a valve.' Why? In a later tweet, she responded to a user who posited that any mask is better than none at all, with 'No, worse. It makes the exhalation into a jet.'
Not that one Rishi. One without a valve. Way to go.https://t.co/VpFLKmuyWD
— Trisha Greenhalgh 😷 #BlackLivesMatter (@trishgreenhalgh) July 15, 2020
Earlier this month, Dr Bharat Pankhania, Senior Clinical Lecturer at University of Exeter, explained in an interview with LBC that: 'Masks with a exit valve were never meant for protection from Coronavirus.' As such, they could do more harm than good, spreading your droplets out into the ether. If you are an asymptomatic carrier, then this is obviously a serious issue.
'Wearers can propel, much further, the very droplets we are trying to capture within the mask.'
My comments on @LBC with @eddiemair today.
Masks with a exit valve were never ment for protection from #Coronavirus.
Wearers can propel, much further, the very droplets, we are trying to capture within the mask. https://t.co/2GlxmQoGLD— Dr Bharat Pankhania (@doctorshaib) July 7, 2020
What might be the future of face coverings?
Right now, there is talk that face coverings will be mandatory in public places until we have a vaccine, as reported by the Mirror. Speaking on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme this morning (Wednesday) Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'I expect that this law [for mandatory masks on public transport, in shops and in hospitals] will be in place for the foreseeable future.' When asked if that could mean until next summer, he added:
'Well let’s see how well we do on getting a vaccine.'
'The scientists have been working incredibly hard on a vaccine and whilst the science is imperfect, and no vaccine is by any means guaranteed, that is something we are working incredibly hard on.'
Of the rumours, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘[Health secretary] Matt Hancock couldn’t tell us how long we’ll need to be wearing face masks but they should be honest with the public and be clear that it’s likely to last for months until we find a vaccine or we are safely through the pandemic.'
What about the office?
The Telegraph reports that the government is in talks with 'groups representing major employers' and that new advice could recommend wearing a face covering in offices, as people start to return to their workplaces. However, speaking on the Today programme, Hancock said: 'No, that isn’t going to happen.
'The reason is in offices you tend to spend a lot time with the same people. The way to stop the spread of the virus in offices is to have social distancing.
'Where the mask benefits is from you spreading the disease to other people when you have relatively short interactions with lots of different people. Which is why it is right to have this mandatory in public transport, shops and the NHS.'
What do the experts say?
When it comes to the news of compulsory face coverings in shops as of the 24th July, here's what a couple of experts in the field have to say.
Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor, University of Cambridge:
'There are different face coverings, but they all work to help reduce transmission. They are one of the mitigation measures which we have in our armoury to tackle this virus, and people should be using many of them to hit all of the transmission pathways. Adoption of face coverings indoors where there are multiple people, and especially in areas where 2m social distancing is hard, is very sensible.'
Dr Julian Tang, Associate Professor of Respiratory Sciences at the University of Leicester:
'I think this is a sensible decision. Masking will reduce further virus transmission along with social distancing and hopefully avoid another local lockdown.
'The evidence on face mask effectiveness is mostly lab-based but it is reasonably robust as a basis on which to form guidance. You cannot control how and when people wear their masks (over the mouth not the nose, taking it off for lunch, coffee breaks, etc., but if you are looking for just the potential effectiveness of the mask as a physical barrier when worn correctly, this is the best you can do.'
He added: 'One of the main problem so far in this COVID-19 pandemic in Western countries is that there is too much attempt at defining things as black and white: e.g. masks don’t work, the virus is not airborne, asymptomatic people don’t transmit, etc. It is more useful to think of such questions on a spectrum so measures can be out in place to cover this: – masking helps to support social distancing in reducing transmission indoors in potentially crowded areas, like shops and public transport.
'You can’t separate airborne/aerosols of virus from droplets when people are speaking, breathing, laughing (during coughing/sneezing, people naturally cover up or turn away), so open windows, enhance ventilation, wear masks when near other people – since we cannot be absolutely sure that asymptomatic infected people cannot transmit, then continue to test and isolate them – especially if they are to return to a care home
'Most of the world’s population is still susceptible to this virus, and we are still not sure how long any post-infection immunity will last, so if people can get used to all these precautions now, it will reduce the numbers of COVID-19 cases/deaths over a longer-term – these precautions will also work for reducing the transmission of other seasonal respiratory viruses, like influenza.'
Disclaimer: The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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